2023 NFL Mock Draft: Joe Douglas takes a tackle for the New York Jets

Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia

Picture this: You awaken suddenly in a cold sweat within a hazy, humid hut. It is dark and you cannot remember the last time you spoke (it was yesterday). Your shaman and spiritual guide (his name is Pat) finishes chanting with his woo-woo stick as your astral projection begins to cease, and you are suddenly reunited with your body in a daze. “That was some intense ayahuasca.” (Pat doesn’t have the heart to tell you that you merely swallowed chewing tobacco)

“I’m sorry to bring you back, Mr. Rodgers, but I have a Joe Douglas on the phone for you.”

—“Aaron, it’s Joe. Look, you may have a spiritual shaman to open your mind’s eye, but it’s high time we protect your blind side; that’s why, with the 13th overall pick, the New York Jets will select…”

BRODERICK JONES OT, Georgia

OK, look, the J-E-T-S Jets will have Aaron Rodgers on the team next year. It’s all but an inevitability at this point. There are some schools of thought that would suggest that Aaron would feel more comfortable with a high talent WR to throw to; while this may be true, he typically prefers established talent compared to young and unpolished.

But if you are Joe Douglas, cut from the Howie Roseman cloth, you understand the importance of long-term value, not rushing to fill immediate need in the draft, and creating cornerstones to bolster your team. This starts in the trenches, and while Jones would redshirt for a season or two (which he would stand to benefit, more on that in a bit) his athletic upside as BPA round pick 13 is too good to pass up. The stars will align, and he may be an essential piece protecting the blind side for years to come.

THE PLAYER

Unlike the great Jonny Page, I’ll start with Broderick’s biggest weakness and criticism: he’s raw (cue Gordon Ramsay voice). He has limited playing time with Georgia (redshirt sophomore after two seasons), and with continued reps he will be able to refine his limited technique and hand placement.

Here he is getting bested by another elite prospect with great bend, BJ Ojulari:

As you can see, he can occasionally struggle with his initial kick slide, getting his feet set and getting square on the defender, rendering him off balance.

But whooooooooooooo boy — those strengths?

Broderick Jones is 6’5’’, 311 lbs of an athletic freak with a great football IQ to boot that only improves with his continual increase in reps. Most recently in 2022 he played 805 snaps, and gave up just 8 QB hurries, 1 QB hit, and no sacks.

+ He has phenomenal power, core strength and grip to create gaps at the line of scrimmage or provide elite pass protection. + Very good spatial awareness and positional movement of defenders

+ Great reaction and flexibility, adjusting to angles and elevating on the second level. + 40 time isn’t everything (4.97s 93 percentile) but his insane speed shows on the field, especially in space. + Aggressive. Violent. Will ragdoll you.

Witness his power as a moving blocker:

Watching him in space is about as much fun as you can have watching his explosiveness. Watch him ‘come in like a wreeeeee-cking baaalll’:

Anyone up for some pancakes?

Jones’ tape and evolution as a player is a lot of fun to watch, and it’s fair to project him as a high floor, high ceiling type of player, given the right circumstances, which brings us to ...

THE FIT

Let’s start with an interesting tidbit; our friends over at Gang Green Nation actually made an argument to NOT draft Jones (or any OT) at pick 13 due to .. not really having an opening on the offensive line? While it’s fair to want an immediate contributor with a first-round pick, it’s arguably more important to factor in long-term contribution and value. Jones is high on many big boards to argue him within the range of BPA, and not having an immediate opening on the O-line is arguably the best-case scenario for Jones, who could benefit to redshirt for at least a season and learn from established vets.

An interesting article from The Athletic ranked every team’s offensive line stability and compared it to its priority (1 being lowest and 10 being highest) in strengthening it. Generally, teams with more stable and established o-line did not have an immediate urgency to improve it and vice versa. The Jets ranked 24th in o-line stability, with a 9 rating priority on bolstering, solidifying, or improving it.

Inconsistency and injury are two greatest phantoms plaguing the 20th ranked o-line in the league, with Mekhi Becton’s health as a huge question mark that could either elevate or hamper this team moving forward. Duane Brown is a well-established vet that the Jets value, but he was also playing through a shoulder injury last year.

So, are you going to convince Old Man Jenkins Rodgers that he will be protected by a shaky Oline as is? The last thing the 39-year-old wants to do is be slammed into the turf faster than the AARP delivers his coupons in the mail. No, you want comfort in depth, consistency, and the knowledge that, barring injury, Jones will only age like a fine wine, protecting your blind side for years to come.

And, long after their wild card exit from the playoffs, Rodgers will move on to become the highest paid spokesman in the hemp industry’s history ($7 and a bag of chips AAV), but he will rest easy at night knowing he was protected by a bright young star who will continue to anchor the Jets o-line for the foreseeable future.

2023 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Panthers (pheebthegoose): QB Bryce Young
2) Texans (Phoenix X Minimus): QB C.J. Stroud
3) Cardinals (alwaysaphillyfan): EDGE Will Anderson
4) Colts (eaglenomics): QB Anthony Richardson
5) Seahawks (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop): DT Jalen Carter
6) Lions (Sam2TheMaximum): DE Tyree Wilson
7) Raiders (joey2arms): OT Paris Johnson Jr.
8) Falcons (Kephas): CB Christian Gonzalez
9) Bears (chewy wellington): OT Peter Skoronski
10) Eagles (Philly21): CB Devon Witherspoon
11) Titans (RachAttack): WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
12) Texans (Domonate): WR Quentin Johnston
13) Jets (JawnJam): OT Broderick Jones
14) Patriots (Amish Eagle Lion)
15) Packers (bdawk4ever)
16) Commanders (the dog did it)
17) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen)
18) Lions (DreadPirateRocco)
19) Buccaneers (Neil Dutton)
20) Seahawks (wardbell92)
21) Chargers (Brendanekstrom)
22) Ravens (Rollinpin)
23) Vikings (FierceDisc65)
24) Jaguars (Leo Bedio)
25) Giants (dkays)
26) Cowboys (roberticus01)
27) Bills (EHyungNim)
28) Bengals (mainmanham)
29) Saints (RiverCityEagle)
30) Eagles (ablesser88)
31) Chiefs (Hoosinole)

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2023 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Panthers: QB C.J. Stroud
2) Texans: QB Bryce Young
3) Cardinals: EDGE Will Anderson
4) Colts: QB Anthony Richardson
5) Seahawks: DT Jalen Carter
6) Lions: DE Tyree Wilson
7) Raiders: OT Paris Johnson Jr.
8) Falcons: CB Christian Gonzalez
9) Bears: OT Peter Skoronski
10) Eagles: CB Devon Witherspoon
11) Titans: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
12) Texans: DE Myles Murphy
13) Jets: